Saturday, July 22, 2006

 

Memory Lane: Tom Kurvers

Do you know what the Canucks really need this offseason? Simply, a defenseman like Tom Kurvers.

The last time the Canucks had a defenseman like Tom Kurvers since 1991, when they had, ya know, the real Tom Kurvers, and not some crappy imitation like Nolan Baumgartner or Greg Hawgood.

Kurvers' tenure with the Canucks lasted only 32 games, but he made a major impact in his time here with 27 points for a 0.84PPG. This PPG is even better than future hall of famers such as Jyrki Lumme and Gerard Diduck.

After winning the Hobey Baker in 1984 (d00d put up 76 points in 43 games...holy crap!!!!), Kurvers shook the Hobey Curse and went on to pile up 421 points in 659 career NHL games. That wasn't his most impressive feat, though. He was so good, that the Toronto Maple Leafs traded the 1st round pick that would become Scott Niedermayer for Kurvers. Niedermayer? What were you ever traded for? A slice of pizza?

Oh, but it gets better.

According to his hockeydb.com profile, Kurvers went on to play a season in Japan before he retired. In 1995-96, for Seibu, Kurvers put up 18 goals and 52 points in 0 games. 0 games!! Not even Wayne Gretzky could put up those kind of numbers...he would have needed at least 1 game.

Now, he's the director of player personnel with the Phoenix Coyotes and one of Gretzky's golf buddies. It's too bad he can't come to Vancouver and teach Lukas Krajicek how to run a Power Play. Is it too late for him to unretire?


Comments:
Love Tom Kurvers. He was the 1st in what should have been a streak of 3 straight Hobey Winners for the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. After he won it, Bill Watson won it the next year. The following year Brett Hull should have won the Hobey as a sophomore but (I think) was not given the votes because his school had won it twice in 2 years.
 
76 in 43 games? D00d! There must have been some juiced pucks!!
 
Hawgood's junior numbers slayed everyone's... if he was only two inches taller.
 
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